Here is a continuation from my post on July 12th. It is Day 2 and 3 of Brooke’s climb.
Day 2
I wake up to the alarm on my watch. I stretch out and scramble up. I know there is still an hour till we actually leave, but I could get a few pictures and relax. I change into a pair of zip off pants and a T-shirt. I grab my hiking poles and the rest of my stuff. I unzip my tent and slipped into the food tent for coffee. I get some pictures with Mira right before we leave. I grab my hat and we leave. We will climb 7.4 miles, and we will stop at the Simba Campsite, in the heath zone, at about 10,300 ft. The air is very humid and hot, about 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are plants, animals, and lush vegetation everywhere. I see monkeys, colorful birds and flowers, antelope, elephants, leopards, and giraffes. There are also sycamore figs, palm trees, mosses, and a type of tree called a campherwood tree. It gets colder, and soon we are in the heath zone. One of our team members (Mira’s brother, Henry Zoser) feels too sick to continue, so he and a porter have to go down. We wave goodbye, and continue the climb. I feel slight altitude sickness, so I take diamox. 2 hours later, we reach the Simba Campsite ( Fun Fact: Simba is a Swahili word that means lion). The porters set up our tents, and we eat a quick dinner of pasta and garlic bread, and then we sleep. I sigh as I climb into my tent. Yet another long day has passed, I think to myself, half-asleep.
Day 3
I wake up and put on full pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a fleece jacket. I get my stuff and eat breakfast in the food tent (we call it the FT). We will go above the clouds today (!!!:)), we will climb for 5.3 miles, and we will stop at Kibo Huts, in the alpine desert zone, at about 14,550 ft. It is moist and cool, and very misty, about 56 degrees Fahrenheit. There aren’t any animals, but there are grasses, heather, and lobelias, and senecios. Even though it is misty, it later opens out into a clear, cool landscape. Mira is busy writing in her journal, so I just walk with another friend I made ( her name is Bess Wilkinson, and she is from Chicago,IL). After 3 hours, we are in the moorland zone. It is cold, and there is frost, about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. There are many animals that I have never seen in person, like African hunting dogs, lammergeiers, elands, and duikers. The plants include senecios, and lobelias. Mira is done writing, and she is heading towards Bess and I. We start talking about what we are going to do when we are at the bottom. It turns out that Mira and I are going on the same safari, but Bess has an early flight. In 1 hour, we are at Kibo Huts.